


me gustas tu (i like you)

by yutavlys



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Flirting, First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Skinship, art class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yutavlys/pseuds/yutavlys
Summary: “I think you should fight fire with fire,” Jisung says without looking up from this textbook.Jeno raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”Jisung taps his pencil absentmindedly on a particularly long English word and circles it. “What I mean is, why don’t you try starting skinship with him first and see how he reacts?”—(Or: The one where Jaemin is a little too touchy for Jeno's taste so he decides to get to the bottom of it once and for all.)
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 178





	me gustas tu (i like you)

“Why don’t you just draw yourself?”

Jeno startles and nearly makes a stray mark on the paper. Jaemin had somehow made his way across the room and into the seat next to him, chin digging into Jeno’s shoulder to look over at his drawing. He tries to ignore how close the other boy is, which is proving to be difficult since Jaemin’s cheek is nearly pressed against his own.

“I don’t think I’m a good subject for this,” Jeno mutters.

The assignment for today was to sketch a portrait of your choice, and Jeno had chosen to do one of his idol, Donghae, which he was in the process of mapping out. He focuses his attention back on shaping the hair, and for about five seconds he forgets that Jaemin is invading his personal bubble. Soon enough, the other pouts and stands up, much to Jeno’s relief. But then he brings up his index finger and thumb to pinch Jeno’s cheek causing the latter to stammer in surprise.

“But you’re so cute! I’ll draw you for my project then,” Jaemin offers, and releases his hold.

He bounces back to his corner of the room leaving Jeno flushed and unable to focus on his drawing for the rest of the period.

The thing is, Jeno only recently started talking to Jaemin this year because they had art class together— the _only_ class they have together, meaning they didn’t hang out much outside of it because they were in separate homerooms. However, Jaemin also knew Donghyuck so they bonded over that initially, but otherwise, there wasn’t much to their interactions besides sharing embarrassing stories about their mutual friend. Regardless, Jaemin still managed to talk to Jeno about anything and everything whenever he saw him, like if he had watched that movie that was just released (he hadn’t) and if he liked the canteen food for today (he didn’t).

And for one reason or another, Jaemin had already decided that they’ve reached that point in their friendship—if Jeno could even call it that— where constant touching was considered normal, and he purposely made his way out to score skinship points with Jeno daily.

For example, Jeno would be painting, and Jaemin would throw an arm across his shoulders to give him somewhat useless advice, and due to their proximity, his warm breath would hit the back of Jeno’s neck causing him to tense up. Or, Jeno would be washing his hands in the sink after a messy lesson on using charcoal, and Jaemin would sneak up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist, giving him a quick hug causing him to stutter in surprise before leaving as if nothing happened.

It’s a cycle of constant touches, and Jeno has had enough. He doesn’t mind the attention, but he also doesn’t understand why Jaemin chooses to give it to _him_ of all people.

“Is Jaemin always this touchy?” he asks one day, after explaining his predicament to Donghyuck and Jisung.

The trio is lingering outside the classroom during the first and third years break period, though Jisung chooses to use this time to do some extra studying.

Donghyuck taps his chin as if he’s deep in thought. “Eh, maybe. I mean, he had a girlfriend last year, but I don’t remember seeing them being all skinship-y. I think it’s just because he finds you cute.” He grins and pinches Jeno’s cheeks up and down. “Cu-u-u-te,” he coos, stretching out the syllables to be in sync with his squishing.

Jeno slaps his hand away, annoyed. “Cut it out!”

“Your cheeks are just so squishable, I can’t help it,” Donghyuck sniffs.

Jeno glares at him and rubs the spot where he had squeezed. He crouches down onto the floor to sit next to Jisung. “What do you think about this, Jisung-ah?”

The younger boy turns a page in his English textbook, seemingly focused on studying the vocab list. Jeno knows it’s because he did awful on his EFL test last week; though Jisung’s standard of “awful” meant that he only missed one question out of the hundred. He couldn't have something he wasn’t good at because he was in the top one percent of their entire high school. Typical young genius in the making.

“I think you should fight fire with fire,” Jisung says without looking up from this textbook.

Jeno raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Jisung taps his pencil absentmindedly on a particularly long English word and circles it. “What I mean is, why don’t you try starting skinship with him first and see how he reacts?”

“Wouldn’t that be pretty weird to do that all of sudden though?” Jeno questions, frowning. Donghyuck nods in agreement.

Jisung shrugs. “Worth a try. Maybe he’ll stop bothering you then.”

Throughout the day, Jeno lets the thought simmer in his head. Despite his initial opposition, it _does_ sound like a plausible idea. It couldn’t hurt to play the game since it isn’t like he and Jaemin are close friends in the first place, added to the fact that they barely see each other outside of school anyway. So taking Jisung’s advice, Jeno comes into art class the following week with a mission.

He starts off small by faintly dragging his fingers on Jaemin’s arm when he passes by his desk. The other boy raises an eyebrow but doesn’t question it. Jeno relishes in his tiny victory but is surprised later when Jaemin sidles up next to him and laces their fingers together when they go back to their respective homerooms.

Jaemin brings up their interlocked hands to study them in awe. “Wow, our hands look perfect together.”

Jeno sputters. “What the hell.”

Jaemin only grins and squeezes their hands together for good measure before releasing Jeno’s hand to run to his homeroom. Jeno is left staring at his retreating form and hurriedly wipes his sweaty palm on the front of his pants. His heart is still racing when Donghyuck strides up behind him to clap him on the back after his own elective class ended.

“How’s your plan going?” he asks amicably.

“Great,” Jeno replies miserably. “Just great.”

The next day, he decides to be bold and brushes his lips against Jaemin’s ear when he asks to borrow a set of colored pencils he’s using. He makes sure to lean in for a second too long and grins when he sees the other boy’s ears turn red. However, Jaemin makes no indication that he’s affected by it whatsoever and hands him the container without a hint of nervousness.

Jeno frowns. Failure once again.

Of course, Jaemin manages to surprise him when he catches him off-guard by pressing a chaste kiss on Jeno’s cheek when he isn’t looking. He was in the middle of talking to his seatmate, Seungmin, about the history test they had coming up when he suddenly felt a pair of soft lips press against his cheek. Jeno covers his face, horrified and definitely embarrassed.

“Yah, Na Jaemin!”

Their art teacher tells them to quiet down and ignores Jeno’s accusatory finger-pointing at the other boy. Seungmin hides his snorts while Jeno glares at Jaemin, who laughs silently back to his seat. He grits his teeth and tries (and fails) to control the blush that's creeping up on his cheeks.

This is _so_ on.

The next few days are filled with him and Jaemin trying to one-up one another, and he's sure that most of the class has caught on. By the seventh day, Jeno realizes they’re pretty much playing an unspoken game of chicken at this point when Jaemin corners him in the supply closet.

“Do you need help?”

He flinches at the sound of the other’s voice but refuses to turn around. “Nope. I'm fine, thanks.”

Though he might appreciate Jaemin’s help in finding their sole jar of red paint, there’s no way he’s going to put his dignity on the line by actually asking. That would mean Jaemin could take it as another point in his book. He determinedly ignores the other as he rummages the cluttered shelves, but then sees Jaemin moving towards him from the corner of his eye and immediately regrets his decision on coming into the supply room in the first place.

“Oh, here, I see it!” Jaemin exclaims.

He steadies an arm on Jeno’s waist as he reaches above him to grab the jar. While trying to uncomfortably shift out of the other’s way, Jeno’s back is basically pressed up against the other’s chest, causing him to have a slight coughing fit. He only wanted red paint for his landscape of a sunset, goddamnit, and now he’s stuck in a compromising position with the guy that started this mess in the first place!

After what seems like an eternity even though the reality was only a few seconds, Jaemin finally manages to locate the jar and hands it to him.

“Here you go,” he chirps. Jeno can see a hint of a smirk on the other boy’s lips, and he kind of wants to slap it off.

“Thanks,” Jeno mutters, face almost as red as the jar of paint he’s holding.

He goes to speed back out to the classroom when suddenly Jaemin grabs his arm lightly and spins him around so he has his back pressing against the shelves. It was like they were in some sort of stupid webtoon, and Jeno has never felt so much anxiety in this one moment and his heart is about to burst because he didn’t expect the game to go _this far_. Jaemin is entirely too close to his liking, and his eyes automatically flit down to the other’s lips, much to his distress.

“Yah! Na Jaemin, what are you— oh screw it, you win,” Jeno babbles. He’s gripping the red acrylic paint jar hard enough for his nails to turn white and shifts his eyes to the door in fear of someone walking in.

Jaemin had his mouth open in preparation to say something but gives him a confused look instead when he takes in Jeno’s surrender. “I just— Wait, I win? Were we playing a game?”

“ _YouknowwhatI’mtalkingaboutyoudummy_ ,” Jeno whispers hurriedly in a jumbled mess.

Jaemin furrows his eyebrows. “What game…” His eyes light up. “Oh, you mean I won because I’m confessing first? Sweet!”

Jeno nearly drops the jar of paint. Had he heard right?

“Confessing?” he repeats lamely.

Jaemin licks his lips nervously before locking his calm eyes with Jeno’s shaking ones.

“Lee Jeno, I like you.”

And then he actually does drop the jar of paint. It falls with a clunk and rolls off somewhere under the shelves, never to be seen again. Jeno’s face becomes hot when he processes this new information. “You mean like— I— _what_.”

Insecurity flashes in Jaemin’s eyes, and he immediately pulls away, dropping his arm to his side. “O-oh, um, I thought you felt the same way because— well, you were flirting back, and you didn’t seem to mind so I thought...” Jaemin rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Flirting,” Jeno blurts out. “You thought I was flirting with you.”

Jaemin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, were you not?”

“Well, I mean, I was just playing— uh.” His mouth opens and closes, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Jeno had never considered the reason why Jaemin was always so touchy was that he… liked him. The thought didn’t even cross his mind because what about him would Jaemin even _like_? Frankly, Jeno doesn’t think he’s as good-looking in comparison to, say, Hwang Hyunjin from Class B2, and he’s not particularly interesting either because he doesn’t play any sports like Donghyuck nor does he get good grades like Jisung— he just likes watching anime and playing video games at PC bang.

In other words, he was completely average, but the boy standing in front of him clearly saw that there was something more, and Jeno isn’t quite sure how to feel about it.

“I think,” he says slowly. “I think I need to think about... this.”

Jaemin nods in understanding. He has a hand covering the lower half of his face, the blush spreading from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. It’s the first time Jeno has seen Jaemin completely and totally embarrassed because of him.

Well, that’s one victory. Score one to six.

Over the weekend, Jeno mulls over Jaemin’s confession. Maybe he should have seen it coming, but he thought Jaemin was only interested in pretty girls with bright eyes and black hair; or in other words, everything that he isn’t.

“Okay, I need to confirm this again— Is Jaemin for sure into guys?”

They’re sitting inside a cafe doing homework, with Donghyuck and him on one side of the table and Jisung on the other. Jeno had decided to abandon his history textbook in favor of discussing the enigma that is Na Jaemin, though Jisung doesn’t seem to agree with this distraction and frowns before returning to his EFL workbook.

“Duh. He likes _you_ , you dingus.”

“But I don’t get why!” He smacks Donghyuck’s arm to pry his attention away from his literature reading. “Hey, didn’t you say he had a girlfriend before? Does that mean he likes girls _and_ guys?”

“Jeno-yah, I think you should just ask him out to get to know him better instead of worrying about if he really likes you or not.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Man, I wish we didn’t have to read about plums and snow, this poem isn’t making any sense.”

Jeno sulks and scribbles on Donghyuck’s notebook when he isn’t looking. He then opens up his history textbook again to try and focus on the Joseon era, but his mind still wanders back to the supply closet and how flustered Jaemin had been when he stuttered out his confession. It seemed so genuine because when they went back to the main room, Jaemin couldn’t look at him for more than two seconds and maintained his distance for the rest of the week.

While Jeno had waited the entire semester to rejoice in Jaemin leaving him alone for once, he felt so _bad_. One because he didn’t like accidentally hurting someone else’s feelings, and second— he hates to admit it— he kind of missed Jaemin’s presence. Even if it got to be too much sometimes, he now understands that’s just how the other shows his affection, and Jeno had basically turned a game out of it.

“Aish, this is so annoying!” he whines, mussing up his hair as if that would clear his mind.

Donghyuck and Jisung exchange looks before both of them give him a hard _thwap!_ on his head with their textbooks.

“Stop thinking about it—”

“—and actually do something!”

“Okay, okay!” Jeno says, putting his hands up to defend against their attacks.

Later that night, his dreams are plagued with all the ways it could go wrong, like finding out it _was_ a joke all along and Jaemin laughing at him for actually falling for it, or him being too late and Jaemin has already moved on to someone else, or even Jaemin saying yes only to break up with him later—

But the last scene he dreams about is set in the supply closet again, except this time Jeno had taken the chance and kissed Jaemin right then and there, warmth blooming up in his chest as Jaemin smiled against his lips and told him how he had been waiting for this moment.

Jeno wakes up the next morning with butterflies in his stomach and makes up his mind.

“Ah, so—” Jeno clears his throat. “I’ve thought— I mean, I’ve been thinking— um.” His brain is short-circuiting at how sweetly Jaemin is gazing up at him and his heart really can’t take any more of it.

During the break period, he had entered Jaemin’s homeroom and made a beeline to where the other was sitting. Apparently, Jaemin was pretty popular in his class because there are a few people hanging around his desk which does nothing to soothe Jeno’s racing nerves. Thankfully, though, Jeno didn’t even have to say anything for them to take the hint and disperse; though it probably had more to do with his serious expression and determined stride.

And while Jeno had everything he wanted to say memorized because he didn’t spend an hour practicing in front of the mirror for nothing, now that he’s actually in front of the other boy all he can think of is how handsome Jaemin is, and, fleetingly, _oh my god, what if he says no?_ Which is quite ridiculous given the circumstances that this isn’t unrequited, but Jeno had always been a worrier.

“Actually,” he squeaks, eyes darting around the room. “Can we talk outside?”

Jaemin raises an eyebrow but follows Jeno nonetheless to the end of the hallway, underneath the staircase that leads to the second floor. Thankfully it’s empty, so Jeno stops and turns to face Jaemin, the tips of his ears turning red.

“So first off, I want to apologize for the way I reacted the last time. I really misunderstood the situation,” he admits, scratching his head sheepishly.

“It’s okay,” Jaemin assures. “I wasn’t really clear with my intentions, so I’m sorry, too.”

Jeno breathes a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you understand.” Now here comes the hard part, which he had dreaded since he had gotten to school this morning. “And you know, I’ve been thinking about your confession, and—” He gulps. “I just wanted to ask you…” He mumbles the rest of his sentence.

Confused, Jaemin cocks his head to the side. “What was that?”

This was actually so _hard_. Jaemin is staring at him intently again, but Jeno doesn’t break eye contact. It takes a few seconds to gather his courage again, but Jeno finally spits it out.

“Please go out with me,” he stammers.

Jaemin perks up, eyes brightening. “What? Really?”

Jeno nervously gnaws his lower lip and nods quickly. At this, the other boy lets out a congratulatory _whoop_ that echoes down the hallway, and he quickly puts his hand against his mouth to quiet him. “Hey, don’t be so loud—”

“I’m so happy,” Jaemin gushes underneath his palm. Jeno can’t help but laugh, lowering his hand to hide his own smile.

They make plans to see a movie on Saturday, Jaemin talking a mile a minute about exchanging Kakao IDs and asking all kinds of questions about what foods Jeno likes and where else he wants to go afterward. By then, their break period had ended and it was time to head back to class.

“I’ll see you then,” Jaemin says when they reach the front of his homeroom.

Then he stops, brings one of Jeno’s hands up, and lightly presses a kiss on the top of them before giving him a wink. That warm feeling Jeno had felt in his dream spreads throughout his body because now this doesn’t feel weird, this feels… almost natural.

“Yeah,” Jeno replies belatedly in a daze as Jaemin disappears behind the door. “See you then.”

It’s already Saturday afternoon, but Jeno is still debating on what he should wear. Shaking his head at his third outfit of choice, which consists of a cardigan that had gone through the wash too many times and ripped skinny jeans, he decides to text his sister for help. She was kinda fashionable, at least from what he’s seen whenever she would go out with her friends. Not that he knows much about it since Jeno’s sense of style was practically non-existent along with his knowledge of how a first date is supposed to go.

[11:44 AM] **Jeno** : Noona ㅠㅠㅠ can you help me pick which one I should wear??  
[11:45 AM] **Jeno **:**** [ _Attachment: 3 images_ ]

****

Not even a minute later, Jeno receives a response.

[11:45 AM] **Noona** : Yah... These are the options you’re sending me??!!!

Jeno cringes as his sister sends a burst of texts berating his fashion sense before eventually helping him out with a basic, safe outfit that wasn’t too flashy but still looked put together. Hopefully, everything will go well, Jeno thinks worriedly as he stares at his reflection in the mirror. Giving himself one last encouraging smile, Jeno steps out of the apartment and makes his way to the bus stop.

“Jeno-yah!”

Looking up, he sees Jaemin striding towards him with a wide grin. The other boy is dressed in a white dress shirt and jeans, and it was refreshing to see him outside of his school uniform. Jeno’s mind still can’t wrap around how handsome Jaemin is and why it took so long for him to notice as they make their way to the theater, passing by the multitude of stores and restaurants lining the streets of Myeongdong.

During the movie, Jaemin wastes no time to be his overdramatic and affectionate self, wrapping his arm around Jeno’s shoulders to hold him close and whispering commentary that was funnier than the movie itself. Afterward, they find a nearby cafe for dessert, and Jeno learns more about Jaemin than he ever could in the time they had spent together in art class. Jaemin loved sweets and hated milk, and he also had a dog named Yeoreum that he wanted Jeno to meet because he thinks they look similar.

“Is that a good thing?” Jeno asks, swiping through the photos Jaemin had pulled up. Yeoreum is a Samoyed with fluffy white fur and curious black eyes.

“Yes because you’re both cute,” Jaemin hums. “And she also ran away from my kisses when we first got her.”

And throughout all this, Jeno feels comfortable enough to ask the question that had been stirring in his mind for the past couple of days.

“Since when did you like me?”

He watches as Jaemin quirks up an eyebrow. “Let’s see...” He pauses like he’s thinking, but it seems like he’s pretending with the way he looks up with his hand on his chin.

Jeno scoffs and playfully nudges his shoulder. “Hey, I just wanna know!”

“Well… Just since I first saw you,” Jaemin explains. Then, he uncharacteristically flushes like the last time, as if he was embarrassed by what he had just said.

“So it was love at first sight?” Jeno teases.

“I mean, in a way.” He runs his hand through his hair and gives a sheepish grin. “Back then, you were sitting with Donghyuck during lunch, and I stopped by to talk with him. Even though you were pretending you weren’t listening, you laughed at some stupid joke I made. And then I just kept thinking about your smile for days.”

Now it was Jeno’s turn to blush. “Really? So that’s when it all started?”

“Yeah. I was so happy that we were put in the same art class together because I wanted to get closer to you,” Jaemin says.

Jeno looks down, suddenly shy. “I honestly never knew. It feels like a dream, honestly.”

“It really does.” Jaemin beams at him over their shared bowl of bingsu and Jeno’s heart beats a little faster.

The night is falling by the time Jaemin walks him back to the station. Their hands really did look perfect against one another, and Jeno never wanted to let go. However, he knows he has to when they eventually arrive at the entrance.

“Thanks for today,” Jeno expresses sincerely, turning to face him. “I’ll text you when by the time you get back.”

Jaemin smiles. “Me too. I’ll be waiting.”

Jeno nods. And then he waits for Jaemin to do… something. Aren’t first dates supposed to end with a kiss? Or… maybe he’s watched too many dramas over his sister’s shoulder. Right now, it doesn’t seem like the other boy is making a move any time soon when he doesn’t say anything more. A beat passes before Jeno takes the hint.

“Well— bye, then!” he blurts out, somewhat disappointed.

Maybe it was good that they didn’t kiss because otherwise, Jeno would be thinking about it for weeks and be too distracted to study for their final exams at the end of spring. Besides, he can think about all the other times Jaemin has kissed him on the cheek, so that could already count as their first one. He still couldn’t help but internally sulk, though, as he turned away.

But before Jeno could even make one move to go down the subway station steps, Jaemin shoots out to grab his wrist.

“Wait, you forgot something.”

Jeno doesn’t have time to ask Jaemin what he had meant because then the other closes the space between them and presses his lips against his. Surprised at first, Jeno relaxes in his embrace and enjoys the soft feeling of Jaemin’s mouth on his own. The kiss is as perfect as he had imagined, and Jeno closes his eyes to fully take in the moment.

“Sorry, I had to tease you a little,” Jaemin says cheekily when they part. “Did you know how sad you looked?”

Jeno flushes all the way down to his neck. “You’re really something, Na Jaemin.”

The other boy grins and tugs Jeno back in again for a hug. “Guess I’ll see you later,” Jaemin whispers in his ear.

“See you later,” Jeno repeats, his lips still tingling from the kiss.

Jeno is very well aware that he has the dopiest look on his face that stays with him for the rest of his trip back home. Once he exits out of the station, his phone buzzes in his back pocket and he sees a notification from Jaemin.

[7:38 PM] **Jaemin** : Still thinking of you ♡  
[7:38 PM] **Jaemin** : Get home safely~

[7:38 PM] **Jeno** : I just got home!! Have a good night ㅎㅎ

[7:39 PM] **Jaemin** : Goodnight ♡.♡

Back at the apartment, his mother asks him what he did today that made him so happy; but all Jeno can do is smile at his phone until his cheeks hurt.

It takes Donghyuck and Jisung less than two minutes to realize there’s something going on between him and Jaemin on Monday. They’re in the courtyard during their free period, watching a few of their classmates play a quick soccer game against one another when Jaemin comes up to them. After briefly talking with Donghyuck about a math assignment that was due later that week, he then turns to Jeno.

“Hey, and I’ll see you around,” Jaemin says, pinching his cheek affectionately before he walks away.

“See you,” Jeno says brightly. It’s become a common phrase between them, and he’s not entirely sure how to explain it to others, but he just knows that it was theirs now.

Sensing an underlying meaning, Donghyuck and Jisung immediately jump on him once Jaemin is out of earshot.

“What was that—” Jisung starts.

“— Was that like a couple thing?” Donghyuck finishes.

Jeno tries to hide his smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Donghyuck huffs and crosses his arms. “Wow, I’m offended that both of my best friends are dating and neither of you decided to tell me!”

“I’m happy for you, hyung,” Jisung says, patting his back wholeheartedly. “Now you can focus on passing your exams.”

As his friends go on to ask questions about how this all happened, Jeno looks across the courtyard to where Jaemin is sitting. The sunlight is hitting him at just the right angle, casting him in an almost angelic glow and he finds himself unable to look away. They make eye-contact, and Jaemin gives him a wink.

Jeno is _so_ in love.

**Author's Note:**

> this idea has been sitting in my drafts forever (like 2015 forever so if there’s a change in tone that’s probably why 💀) and i reworked it into a cute little nomin fic! please leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed~ i appreciate each and every one 💚
> 
> [talk to me on twitter??](https://twitter.com/yutavlys)


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